For James Finley, entering his second year as women’s volleyball head coach at Virginia Commonwealth University, the philosophy is simple. Pursue excellence.
“Performing a task at the highest level – that’s excellence,” says Finley. “If we help each other reach that level, winning will take care of itself. Winning is a byproduct.”
It’s the excellence that Finley pursued – and found – in 2004 that caught the attention of former VCU Director of Athletics Dr. Richard Sander.
After plucking Finley from tiny Arizona Western College, Sander trusted that the coach could revive the long-dormant VCU program. However, few, including the former Rams’ Athletic Director, could have known it would happen so quickly.
In his first season at the helm in 2005, Finley led VCU to a 16-win turnaround, the second-best in the nation, as well as the Rams’ first Colonial Athletic Association Tournament title and NCAA Tournament appearance.
Entering the CAA Tournament as the fourth seed, Finley led the Rams past Georgia State in the first round before engineering upsets of top-seeded Hofstra in the semifinals and Towson in the championship match. Against Towson, VCU trailed 2-1, but never wavered, rallying for a 3-2 victory.
It marked the school’s first conference championship in 20 years. The win also earned the Rams a date in Chapel Hill, N.C. for the first round of the NCAA Tournament, where they battled then-No. 16 Purdue.
Finley’s dramatic turnaround season earned him individual acclaim as well when the Virginia Sports Information Directors named him Virginia State Coach of the Year.
When Finley arrived in Richmond, he had before him a program that had finished 6-21 in 2004 and hadn’t had a winning record in the CAA since joining the league in 1995. Now, he envisions VCU as one of the nation’s top programs.
“This group of student athletes has within them the ability to achieve excellence,” Finley said, eyeing his 2006 team. “Our program had a successful, productive spring which showed marked improvement in all of our players. With the addition of impact players Vivian Lacy (outside hitter) and Shannon Keebaugh (setter) we have added depth, leadership and experience to an already talented squad.”
As head coach at Arizona Western College in Yuma, Arizona, Finley guided the Matadors to a 17-1 record in the Arizona Community College Athletic Association in 2004, 39-7 overall, and a fourth consecutive NJCAA Region I Division I Championship.
With three consecutive NJCAA National Championship tournament appearances at Arizona Western, Finley understands what it takes to reach a high level of success. His Matadors were ranked in the Top Ten nationally each of his four years as coach, peaking at No. 3 in 2004.
Along with the four region championships, Finley led Arizona Western to three ACCAC championships and two District titles. He’s coached five All-Americans, three Region Players of the Year and three conference Most Valuable Players – not to mention eight Academic All-Americans.
While at Arizona Western, Finley was selected District Coach of the Year three times, in addition to being named ACCAC Coach of the Year and Southwest Region Coach of the Year.
He attributes much of his success at the junior college level to his ability to recruit both within the United States and internationally. His networks abroad, notably Brazil, have yielded numerous spectacular athletes, including 2005 All-CAA First Team selection and two-time junior college All-American Ludmila Francescatto.
“I recruited Division I athletes (at Arizona Western),” said Finley. “We would play spring games against Division I teams – Arizona, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Arizona State, Wichita State and UTEP. And our team always performed well.”
Prior to arriving at Arizona Western in 2001, Finley served as assistant coach at University of Texas at El Paso for two years, helping the Miners to a 16-15 mark in 2000. He began his coaching career at the high school and club level, coaching from 1992-1999.
Finley, a member of the Richmond Volleyball Club, traveled to Denver, Colorado to compete in the United States Open Adult Nationals in May 2005.
He earned a B.S. in Range Science at Sul Ross State University in his home state of Texas in 1983, and plans to pursue his Master’s in Sports Leadership at VCU.
Finley has a son, Carlton, 24, who lives in Midland, Tex. Finley currently resides in Richmond.
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James Finley
Second Season •
Sul Ross State, '83
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